194 V oNVERSATiONS ON THE 



of care and attention, and it is only in coun- 

 tries where wa^es are very low, and where 

 there are a great many more people than can 

 find employment in cultivating the ground, 

 that it is worth while to take all the pains 

 and bestow all the time required in raising 

 them. Now in China and Italy the people 

 are much more numerous than in the United 

 States ; that is, in comparison with the extent 

 of the countries-: and in the United States 

 there are many other kinds of occupation 

 more profitable than raising silk-worms ; and 

 therefore we must be content to get most of 

 our silk from others, and give our fiour and 

 cotton, and sugar, and rice in exchange for it, 

 until our population is much greater than it 

 is now." 



" Uncle Philip, it seems to me very won- 

 derful that different trees should be useful in 

 so many different ways. In some, the wood 

 is useful; in others the bark, in others the 

 roots, in others again the fruit, and now you 

 have told us about one that is valuable only 

 on account of the leaves ; what curious thinsfs 

 trees are !" 



" Yes, indeed ; there is no end or limit to 

 God's goodness, or to the number of things 



